The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1887-05-18
THE PENSION OFFICE
An Immense Improvement Over the Re-
publican POlicy-Pensions Never
Issued as Rapidly.
Tsuecial Correspondepce of the sentiueI.l


WASHINGTON, May 1.-THE following
comparative statement of the work OF the
Pension Bureau during the last two years
of the Republican rule and the first two
years of the Democratic Administration
speaks volumes. The records of the Gov
eminent are, of course, kept by fiscal years,
the appropriations being made by Congress
in that manner:
In the year ending June 80, 1888, under
the administration OF w. w. Dad
ley, there were 50, 279 pension certificates
issued, of which number IS, 161 were orig
inal cases, and the remainder increase aud
miscellaneous claims. For the fiscal year
ending June so, 1884, the total number of
certificates issued was 56, 729 of which
81, 100 were original, and the remainder in
crease and miscellaneous cases. In the next
fiscal year, up to the 18th of March, 1885,
when the present Commissioner entered
upon the duties of his Office, there were
SO, 154 certificates of all kinds issued. From
March IL up to June 80 of the same year,
q period of only two months and half,
there were issued 81, 252 pension certificates.
The fiscal year ending June so, 1886,
made a splendid showing for the new adj
ministration, there having been issued TO-
654 pension certificates, 40, $50 of which
were original cases. In that same fiscal
year of 1886 there were also issued 10 985
supplemental certificates to widows and de-
pendent relatives whose pension had bsen
increased by the act of March 10, 1SS6-a
grand total for that one year of 159, 643
allowances. These supplemental certificates
were issued within a very few months after
the passage of the law, the Commissioner
of Pensions having personally directed
how the work should be done. At no time
in the history OF the Office has such an
enormous number of pensions been in
creased without interference with the reg
ular work of the office, or without call
upon Congress for additional help. From
the 1st of July, 1886, up to and including
the 30th Of April, 1887, there were 1905
certificates issued, OF which 81, So were
original cases.
There are yet remaining two months of
the present fiscal year, and the result will
be a magnificent showing, greater by FAR
than sny previous year ia the history of
the Office. II should be borne in mind that
this immense amount OF work has been per-
formed with a reduction of the clerical
force of over 100. With the administration
OF The present Commissioner q new era was
inaugurated in the Pension Bureau. He
determined to conduct the Office upon
strict business principles, and required
that the entire time OF the clerical force
during Office hours should be devoted to
the consideration and transaction of the
public business, and the settlement OF long
delayed pension claims. As one result of
this regulation the fiscal year exhibited
saving in the matter of leaves OF absence of
Is, GOA days OF the aggregate time of the
clerical force, or forty-two years, eleven
months and four days of the time of a sin
Gle clerk.
In the year 1886 the present Commission
er turned over to the Treasury one hundred
thousand dollars (Sl00,00O) OF unexpended
appropriations or account OF the hire OF
clerical force, and he effected saving in
the same year in the item of stationery of
over thirteen thousand dollars ($13, 000)-
this, notwithstanding the fact that the
business of the bureau has been very
largely increased.
1t was formerly the practice that when a
pension claim had been neglected-that is,
when the claimant or his attorney had
failed to call up the case for a certain
length OF time, to mark the case "aban-
doned," and consider it in about the same
light as rejected case. The Commissioner
reversed this unjust practice, and required
of his chiefs that all claims should be given
a chance of being considered and finally
adjudicated. Every case filed during his ad-
ministration has received prompt attention
and his order that all cases filed prior to
his entry into Office should be examined
before the LIST of June has already bsGn
fully complied with, and there is not q Ein-
gle case in the pending files of the Office
which has not been examined, and in
which steps have not been taken toward
IS final settlement. To illustrate the enoT-
nous incresse in the business of the Pen
sion Bureau, during the month OF March.
1884, there we're received $50, 1888 pieces OF
mail matter, and there were sent out from
the Office al, sos circulars and letters. In
The month of March, 1887, there were re-
ceived 2SI 263 pieces of mail matter. end
there were sent out from the offics 1SS 142
letters and circulars.
The following table will show the num-
Der of pension certificates issued during the
fiscal years ending June 30, 1888, 1884,
1885, 1856, and for the year of 1887 up to
the 30th of April: